US and France ramp up anti-jihadist efforts

France’s president travelled to war-torn Iraq and Washington’s top diplomat to neighbouring Turkey Friday, ramping up efforts to address what they now see as the global threat posed by jihadists. Francois Hollande was the first head of state to visit Iraq since jihadist-led militants seized large parts of it in June, and he said France is ready to step up its military involvement. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry was in neighbouring Turkey, which many observers see as holding one of the keys to turning the tide on the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group’s expansion in Iraq and Syria.